Biographies (High School)

[1]

Janis Joplin : rise up singing

Angel, Ann, 1952-

A young fan's introduction to the life and career of the iconic music performer commemorates the 40th anniversary of her death and draws on anecdotes from friends and bandmates that help examine her relationships, musical themes and ongoing influence.

[2]

I know why the caged bird sings

Angelou, Maya.

The author and poet recalls the anguish of her childhood in Arkansas and her adolescence in northern slums.

[3]

A long way gone : memoirs of a boy soldier

Beah, Ishmael, 1980-

A human rights activist offers a firsthand account of war from the perspective of a former child soldier, detailing the violent civil war that wracked his native Sierra Leone and the government forces that transformed a gentle young boy into a killer as a member of the army.

[4]

The good soldiers

Finkel, David, 1955-

Relates the author's experiences as an embedded reporter with Battalion 2-16. telling the story of the surge from the perspective of the someone who worked the soldiers every day.

[5]

The photographer

Guibert, Emmanuel.

In graphic novel format looks at the work of Doctors without Borders as seen through the eyes of a photojournalist who accompanied the group through war-torn Afghanistan.

[6]

Charles and Emma : the Darwins' leap of faith

Heiligman, Deborah.

"Charles Darwin published 'The origin of species,' his revolutionary treatise on evolution, in 1859. Even today, the theory of evolution creates tension between the scientific and religious communities. This same debate raged within Darwin himself and played an important part in his marriage: Emma's faith gave Charles a lot to think about as he worked on his controversial theory. His wife's religious convictions made him rethink how the world would receive his ideas"--From publisher description.

[7]

Rocket boys : a memoir

Hickam, Homer H., 1943-

The author traces the boyhood enthusiasm for rockets that eventually led to a career at NASA, describing how he built model rockets in the family garage in West Virginia, inspired by the launch of the Soviet satellite "Sputnik"

[8]

The boy who harnessed the wind : creating currents of electricity and hope

Kamkwamba, William, 1987-

A true story of tenacity and imagination describes how an African teenager built a windmill from scraps to create electricity for his home and his village, improving life for himself and his neighbors.

[9]

Into thin air : a personal account of the Mount Everest disaster

Krakauer, Jon.

The author describes his spring 1996 trek to Mt. Everest, a disastrous expedition that claimed the lives of eight climbers, and explains why he survived

[10]

The burn journals

Runyon, Brent.

Brent Runyon was fourteen years old when he set himself on fire, and an intense retelling of that suicide attempt followed by a year of physical and psychological recovery conveys with a terrible clarity what it means to want to commit suicide. Reader's Guide available. Reprint. 35,000 first printing.

[11]

Persepolis

Satrapi, Marjane, 1969-

The great-granddaughter of Iran's last emperor and the daughter of ardent Marxists describes growing up in Tehran in a country plagued by political upheaval and vast contradictions between public and private life. Reprint. 75,000 first printing.

[12]

Jesus land : a memoir

Scheeres, Julia.

Tells the story of a white girl who was sent from the Midwest to a Christian reform school in the Dominican Republic after she and her black adopted brother fought back against the racism and bullying that was directed toward them.

[13]

Stitches : a memoir--

Small, David, 1945-

The author recounts in graphic novel format his troubled childhood with a radiologist father who subjected him to repeated x-rays and a withholding and tormented mother, an environment he fled at the age of sixteen in the hopes of becoming an artist.

[14]

Ghosts of war : the true story of a 19-year-old GI

Smithson, Ryan.

In a harrowing memoir of combat, friendship, fear, and a soldier's commitment to his country, a debut author and true patriot brings teen readers inside his tour in Iraq--a war that has little impact on the everyday lives of Americans, but one that has a life-changing impact on those who are apart of it.

[15]

Maus : a survivor's tale

Spiegelman, Art.

The author-illustrator traces his father's imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp through a series of disarming and unusual cartoons arranged to tell the story as a novel

[16]

The glass castle : a memoir

Walls, Jeannette.

The child of an alcoholic father and an eccentric artist mother discusses her family's nomadic upbringing, during which she and her siblings fended for themselves while their parents outmaneuvered bill collectors and the authorities.

[17]

Hole in my life

Gantos, Jack.

The author relates how, as a young adult, he became a drug user and smuggler, was arrested, did time in prison, and eventually got out and went to college, all the while hoping to become a writer.

[18]

Your own, Sylvia : a verse portrait of Sylvia Plath

Hemphill, Stephanie.

With photographs and an extensive list of facts and sources, a collection of poems captures the story of the life, personal struggles, and suicide of this celebrated author.

[19]

I.M. Pei : architect of time, place, and purpose

Rubalcaba, Jill.

A biography of the renowned architect that focuses on six of his signature buildings.